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2005-11-10

Two steps forward, three steps back

In Dover, Pennsylvania, the school board elections ousted the Republican fundevangelicals who want intelligent design taught in high school science class.

In Kansas, a different lot of fundevangelicals voted to change school science standards to include be more critical of evolutionary biology theory.

I feel very sad for the people of faith who accept science as an explanation for how God created, and don't let that interfere with their faith in a scriptural exegesis of why God created. The radical fundevangelicals are attempting to marginalise them, telling them that belief in God and acceptance of the science of biological evolution cannot coexist.

As an atheist my views may not especially matter to a person of faith (and certainly won't to the fundevangelicals), but I personally find the idea of a Creator incorporating such an elegant mechanism as biological evolution to ensure ecological variation quite attractive, and if I ever saw evidence for such a Creator I'd be a theist in a heartbeat. (So, I'm a doubting Thomas kind of person - the Gospel doesn't say Thomas was damned for his skepticism, does it now?)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

No, but Jesus did say "Blessed is he who does not see, and yet believes" which is a good thing considering he was trying to lay a foundation for a lotta years after he'd be gone.

But, yeah. What you said about Christian scientists. (As opposed to Christian Scientists, who are another thing altogether.) It's very frustrating.

tigtog said...

No, but Jesus did say "Blessed is he who does not see, and yet believes" which is a good thing considering he was trying to lay a foundation for a lotta years after he'd be gone.

I definitely agree that the Gospels indicate the blessedness of faith as superior, I've just heard/read "Doubting Thomas" being thrown around as an epithet implying damnation of the skeptic, and wanted to point out that being skeptical did not damn Thomas nor prevent him from being one of the greatest evangelists of the Early Church.

Anonymous said...

Dover, PA, is near where I grew up (across the river and west a bit). When Science wins one there, take it as a great victory. Seriously.

Funny thing, in my pre-Godless Heathen days, I was Catholic, and went to Catholic schools, and learned about evolution and the expanding changing universe and the exciting possibility of life on other planets, all presented as evidence of this beautiful universe our God had created. And about the importance of taking care of it (ecology was not a popular theme in the '80s) because He'd given us clever brains with the ability to do great harm or great good. So I know from personal experience that it's entirely possible for a good Christian to hold those views. Why is it so impossible for the crew that's in charge of the US right now?